Hisui

Riyao and his companions secretly made their way to the capital, each wearing a hooded cloak to completely conceal their faces.

He walked furtively, hiding in the crowd, his head bowed low.

The thought of what I'm going to do makes my lips curl into a smile; I can't help but smile.

Mirajane glanced at him from the side and also perked up.

After checking into the hotel and tossing their luggage into their room, the group decided to explore the capital city.

Riyao and Mirajane exchanged a glance.

"Wendy, do you want to come with us to find the Princess Hisui?"

"Is that alright? I've never been to the palace before."

Wendy's eyes lit up, and she clasped her hands together, pressing her fingertips white into her palms.

The three people and the cat happily headed to the palace.

Laxus didn't want to bother, so he sprawled on the bed, put his hands behind his head, and draped his legs over the foot of the bed, waiting for the preliminaries to begin.

Cana walked blissfully toward the tavern, her leather jacket open, her steps light and airy, already humming a little tune.

"Don't drink too much, Cana."

Mirajane gave her some instructions before leaving.

Cana waved her hand, not turning her head, and waved her fingers twice in the air.

"I'll pack some to drink, don't worry."

The three walked through the bustling streets of the capital and turned into a quiet alley.

The walls on both sides of the stone-paved road are covered with vines; flowers are everywhere, truly befitting its title Flower Capital.

Riyao suddenly stopped walking.

A wisp of malicious intent was detected, drifting from a certain direction behind me.

It's faint, yet very clear.

His figure blurred, leaving only a blurry afterimage in the spot.

When it reappeared, it was holding a strange-looking little thing in its hand.

It was small in size and struggled desperately between the fingers, making squeaking noises.

His tiny, bean-sized eyes widened in surprise.

Mirajane ran over with Wendy, glanced down, and frowned.

"Is this a demon? It feels very much like one."

Riyao shrugged; he had no idea what it was either.

I only remember that this thing was made by Zeref, but I don't know why it's on the Raven Tail side.

"I don't know what that thing is, it's been following us the whole time. Let's just kill it."

He tightened his grip, his five fingers slowly constricting, and the little creature's screams became even sharper, its body being squeezed out of shape.

Suddenly, he let go.

The little thing fell to the ground with a thud, paused for a moment, then quickly darted into a crack in the wall and disappeared without a trace.

It moved so fast that it was just a black shadow.

Mirajane was puzzled.

Why did you let it escape?

"The person behind it made me release it. He said it was its eye, and he wanted to watch the game; there would be payment afterward."

Who is it? Do you know them?

"We're acquainted, don't worry about it."

Riyao took Mirajane's hand, slipped his fingers between hers, and led them back towards the palace.

Wendy jogged a couple of steps to catch up and tightened her grip on Carla's arm.

Carla spoke with a sharp tongue, her tone lazy, her tail swaying behind her.

"Won't we be stopped outside the palace?"

"How could that be? We used to come here all the time."

Outside the palace gates.

Riyao and his group were stopped.

Two crossed spears blocked the way, their tips polished to a gleaming shine, reflecting images clearly.

"Hey! You don't recognize me? Are you new here?!"

The gatekeeper, soldier A, glanced at him, his eyes scanning him carefully from top to bottom and then back up.

"I've been doing this for six years and I've never seen you before. Go away, don't come here and cause trouble."

Riyao was speechless. He opened his mouth, then closed it again.

A muffled syllable came from his throat.

What a coincidence!

Carla shrugged, a gloating expression on her face.

I knew it.

Undeterred, Riyao looked at the soldier beside him again, placing his last hope on another person.

Goalkeeper B smiled, revealing a standard professional smile that showed eight perfectly aligned teeth.

I worked there for three years.

Riyao leaned weakly against Mirajane, his head tilting to the side, and he slid down a bit.

Mirajane reached out and supported his waist, preventing him from collapsing to the ground.

This amused the group, and Wendy and Carla both burst out laughing.

After a while.

Arcadios appeared, his armor making a clanging sound on the stone pavement as he approached.

Riyao instantly came back to life, excitedly pointing at him and shouting, his finger almost poking the other man's face.

"Dark-faced uncle! Over here!"

Arcadios's face darkened further.

"Come in."

After he finished speaking, he turned around and walked back, taking long and fast strides, as if he wanted to leave everyone behind him immediately.

The armor clanged loudly in the corridor.

Riyao, with a smug look on his face, raised an eyebrow at the two gatekeepers, his eyebrows twitching up and down, and the corners of his mouth turned up high.

The gatekeeper turned his head away, not wanting to look at him, and turned the back of his head to him.

Mirajane pushed him forward, pressing his palms against his back and pushing hard.

"Alright, let's hurry up and catch up, lest we get stopped again."

Wendy, carrying Carla, quickly followed, her small steps making her move swiftly.

The thought of getting lost and being mistaken for an assassin or spy is terrifying.

Wendy's mind was already flashing back to the image of herself being locked in a dungeon.

Throughout the journey, Riyao continued to harass Arcadios.

"Uncle, why aren't you married yet?"

"Uncle, why is your face even darker?"

"Uncle..."

Arcadios remained silent, his face growing increasingly dark, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Mirajane was barely holding back her laughter; she covered her mouth with one hand, her shoulders were shaking violently, and she had to lean against the Riyao to keep her balance.

Wendy and Carla weren't much better off; their faces were flushed red, and their cheeks were puffed out as if they were about to burst.

Arcadios led them to the princess's room, but he was reluctant to go in and preferred to stay outside.

But as a princess's knight, one must stay by her side.

Princess Hisui sat on the living room sofa, sipping black tea. The wall behind her was covered in pale gold wallpaper, and the crystal pendant on the chandelier refracted delicate light in the setting sun.

Exquisite pastries were laid out on the table, neatly arranged on three tiers of porcelain plates, each pastry gleaming with an enticing sheen.

Mirajane ran over, opened her arms, and hugged Princess Hisui tightly.

"You've changed so much in seven years!"

"Mira, you haven't changed at all."

Princess Hisui smiled happily, reached out and patted Mirajane on the back, her palm lingering on her back for a moment.

Riyao sat down on the opposite sofa, crossed his legs, and gave a meaningful explanation.

"In fact, we've been frozen for seven years, it's a bit like we've traveled from seven years ago to the present."

Princess Hisui and Arcadios were both taken aback. They stared at each other for a second, their eyes exchanging a knowing look.

Riyao captured this.

It seems that Rogue from the other timeline has already come into contact with the Hisui.